repotting an oncidium currently in reg potting mix?

[carriek]

Hi all / anyone!

I have an oncidium hybrid from Trader Joe's. It was lovely while it was blooming and amazingly, I have yet to kill it. Apparently it's the lucky number three!

Now that it's done blooming, NOT dead and actually showing growth of new leaves I thought I should figure out how to care for it. I looked around the internet and apparently it should be planted in bark chips. Right now it looks like it's in regular potting mix, like what you'd use for starting seeds or planting pretty much any kind of houseplant.

So my question is - don't fix what's not broken - and leave it in regular potting mix - or thank my lucky stars and move it to a bark / moss mixture? I'm inclined to stick with what seems to be working, but my two rather dead oncidiums say to not trust my instincts entirely.

Any help / thoughts / advice would be appreciated!

Thanks so much!

- Carrie

[WhiteRabbit]

It's possible the current media was either fine bark and/or sphag moss and is just so broken down that it appears to be a soil-like media ...

Oncidiums are epiphytes (grow on trees), the roots need air - I would definitely recommend repotting into airier media. Fine orchid fir bark mix, sphag moss, coconut husk chips mix. You may find lots of dead roots when you remove this one from it's pot.

You will need to monitor the moisture after repotting, especially if you use bark - it will probably need more frequent watering than the very broken down mix the plant is currently in.

How often are you watering it now?

[SJF]

Those TJ orchids are grown by Matsui. Their website has an information section on recommended mixes for each type of orchid. When I first started buying the orchids I thought it was potting soil or broken down too. It is a peat, small bark and other ingredient mix. I am not sure if it could be referred to as growing in mud

---------- Post added at 08:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:15 PM ----------

Care Oncidium - long version

From their website

[james mickelso]

Your oncidium intergeneric just finished flowering? Ok here's what you might want to do. Wait until the plant starts putting out new growth at the base of the newest pbulb. When the new shoots are an inch or two long then repot it into a medium size mix. 1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter bark with some spong rock mixed in. I also like to incorporate some broken charcol into the mix. Commercial mixes are not very good. They use soft bark with a lot of very fine particles which are not good for the roots as this creates an environment in which fungus and bacteria thrive. Now take the plant out of the pot and just let the media it is in fall away from the roots. If this is done when the plant hasn't been watered for 4 or 5 days it will come off easily. If there is still some media adhereing to the roots, jsut gently wash the mix out under the faucet. It's not necessary to wash it all off. But get as much as you can. Now just repot it back into the pot it was planted in before. Same one. There should be enough room. Oncidiums do not like to be potted into oversize pots. They like to be potted tight. If it needs to be potted right away, then so be it. But if you can wait, then please do so. Just keep it on the dry side. Pics would be good too.

---------- Post added at 09:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:42 PM ----------

Remember that Matsui is a commercial grower and what works in their environment may not work in yours. In their GH they keep the temps up (75-90f), keep the media moist, and have a brisk airflow. That way they get the max growth and the least rot problems. The brisk airflow coupled with warm temps is ideal for oncidiums and their relatives.

[carriek]

Thanks so much for all the answers and advice!

To WhiteRabbit -
I said regular potting mix because it had the little balls of Styrofoam that I associate with MiarcleGro-esque potting mix. I didn't peel any little bits of it off the overall ball of roots / dirt to see if I could tell what else was in there, but I didn't see any obvious chunks of anything bigger than the the little white balls.

Right now I water once a week, occasionally once every other week (if I forget the week before, not because I'm closely monitoring!).

To SJF -
Whatever it is currently potted in is quite fine, whether something that started bigger and got broken down or something that started small and is still small. It's not mud, but definitely not what I would associate with any of the descriptors of good potting medium for an epiphyte!

To james mickelso -
I don't think it necessarily needs to be repotted right away. It is putting out new growth which to me says that it's fairly happy at the moment. It's just that when it started to show new growth I realized that I wasn't just slowly killing it (my past experience, although one did tank dang quickly ) I figured I should look into how to care for it beyond remembering to water it. That's when I looked more closely at the pot and planting medium.

I pulled it out of its pot (it was dry and I kinda rolled the pot around to loosen it from the pot, so I was able to pull the whole contents out in one lump) and that's when I really noticed how fine the potting medium is. I also noticed a lot of roots were wrapped all the way around the pot about halfway down the pot, where the little slits for ventilation in the plastic pot are. Normally wrapped roots means rootbound, but I wasn't sure what that means in an oncidium. I know some plants (like my amaryllis collection) like to be jammed in small pots, so I wasn't sure what that meant. I figured I should go by the general rule of "don't repot anything in a growth / blooming phase" but again, my two past dead oncidiums led me to think that I should maybe be more careful!

I'm at work now, so I can't post a picture but I will try to get one tonight.

Again, thanks so much for all of the advice and comments! I will check out the links you all mentioned, too.

Happy Monday!

- Carrie

[james mickelso]

Here are a couple of pics of when an oncid should be potted. New growth has started to throw roots. This is also a very good airy media in which it is potted. Some folks like a tighter mix but I don't. I don't have to worry too much about root rot in this mix. I also have good air movement around the roots with this mix. And I have a fan circulating the air around the plants. These plants regularly see 35-40f temps at night with 60f durning the day. But still no root problems. Loose media and potting at the right time is key. And a pic of what you should get as far as flowering if you pot your plant correctly. Oncidium "Sharry Baby" one year from repotting. Nothing special. Just good medium bark/spongerock/charcol media, correct watering, a little food, and good air flow. Simple.I'll wait for pics and give you my opinion later today. Have a great day at work.

[carriek]

Thanks!

I think I don't need to repot, then. There's some new growth, but it's still little (1-2 inches long/tall) and no sign of roots. There's also still plenty of space in the top of the pot, where the new groth can spread out ansd not run into existing branches / pseudobulbs / stems.

I was really more concerned about the potting medium looking like regular potting soil than crowding - or at least I was until I pulled the plant out of the pot. At least all the roots that I can see wrapped around the inside of the pot look healthy? It sounds like I should probably leave it as is, as long as it continues to do well and be healthy, but to definitely repot it after it stops putting out new growth (which I hope will also include new flowers!).

I'll try to get some pictures tonight with my ever handy cellphone.

Thanks again for all the input, advice and visual aids!

- Carrie

[greengarden]

I don't tend to stress too much about the media for my Oncids, I even have them growing in regular soil in the garden under trees, I was just looking at one yesterday that is even flowering right now under there (an O. incurvum). I have found that as long as you don't go overboard with the water they will pretty much grow in anything.
If it is currently happy I would be inclined to leave it for now, especially as you don't water all that often so the media shouldn't stay too wet.

[james mickelso]

And I think that is the key. More orchids are slaughtered by overwatering than any other cause. But be forewarned....the roots almost always look good around the outside of the pot because they have more air circulation there and warmth. While inside the rootball, under the mass of pseudobulbs there is little air movement and that area stays wet much longer than the outside. That is where the rot will start. Let those new pbulbs grow and when they are nice and tall, I would repot. I always fear "soil-like" conditions and awhile later hear...."help me save my orchid." It is up to you to decide if and when you want to repot. My advise is always repot instead of waiting until it is too late. Repotting seldom hurts the orchid and almost always helps. Can't wait to see some pics so I can tell you if flowering is just around the corner or coming next season.

[Leafmite]

I grow oncidiums in red lava rock/net pots and water often. The little onc. Twinkles and oncidium cheiroporum get small pieces of the rock and are watered daily. They do quite well for me this way. Repotting these guys from bark with those fine roots always was a nightmare, with the rock, I just drop into a larger pot and add more rock.